Lung Disease Center of Central Pennsylvania

04/13/2026

Struggling with sleep apnea or poor sleep? 😴

Our Sleep Disorder Network provides specialized evaluation and treatment for sleep apnea and other sleep conditions — helping patients finally get the rest they need.

Better sleep starts with better care.

🌙

04/10/2026

🚭 Ready to kick the habit for good? Our Freedom From Smoking® classes are free and designed to help adults quit to***co once and for all.

📍 Call 814-946-2845 x200 to register today!

04/08/2026

“The Buzz with Dr. Z” is live on WRTA 98.5 FM and 1240 AM.

If you have enjoyed Dr. Z’s weekly “The Buzz by Dr. Z” articles in the Altoona Mirror for the last 12+ years, you will enjoy this expanded version on the radio with “The Buzz with Dr. Z.”

Mark your calendars and tune in on Tuesday, April 21st, at 2 PM. Dr. Z is looking forward to seeing you on the radio!

04/07/2026

MICROBLEEDS

A great deal of talk goes on these days about dementia.
I have heard that the fear of developing dementia is more
prevalent and more intense than the fear of developing
cancer. Just look at the over-the-counter medications
that are said to improve brain health. One thing I find
interesting is that growing up I do not remember anyone
in my family having dementia and I do not remember any
of the family of my friends having dementia. Likewise,
as a young physician, I cannot remember many patients
with another now common finding, sleep apnea.
Quite the segway. I do not think the incidence of
sleep apnea has increased but it really was not talked
about much in medical circles nor was dementia. So,
what is my point here? Remember I say that everything
is connected? Studies are now finding that one of the
consequences of sleep apnea may be associated with
the occurrence of symptomatic stroke and dementia. The
common thread appears to be the increased occurrence
of so-called microbleeds in the brain in patients with
moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
When researchers adjusted their observations and
controlled for age, weight, diabetes and high blood pressure,
moderate to severe sleep apnea was an independent risk
factor for microbleeds. These small bleeding episodes in
the brain may not be symptomatic when they occur but
the effect accumulates over time leading to dementia.
Another good reason to be studied and
treated for obstructive sleep apnea. Do it today.

04/06/2026

Did you know our center is home to pulmonary specialists, advanced testing, and sleep medicine services all under one roof? 🩺

The Lung Disease Center of Central PA is designed to make lung care more convenient for patients in our region.

www.lungdiseasecenter.com

🫁

04/05/2026

🌷🐣 Happy Easter!

Spring is a season of renewal — and a great reminder to take care of your health. Wishing our patients and community a happy, healthy Easter filled with fresh air and time with loved ones.

🌷🫁

04/01/2026

Your lungs deserve expert care. ❤️

At the Lung Disease Center of Central PA, our state-of-the-art facility provides testing, diagnosis, and treatment for pulmonary diseases all in one place. Breathe easier knowing expert care is right here in our community.

Learn more: www.lungdiseasecenter.com

🫁

03/31/2026

COUGH AND DIABETES

Chronic cough is not a new phenomenon. It is one
of the common reasons patients come to the office
for an evaluation. What is new is that we are seeing
some increased cough complaint in a subset of diabetic
patients. These are those patients who are being treated
with GPL-1Ras (Ozempic, etc.). I have written at least
one article about how these products may affect the
pulmonary system. In this regard the symptom of cough
in patients using GLP-1Ras was not totally surprising
since we know that these types of drugs are associated
with gastrointestinal reflux or GERD. GLP-1Ras have a
direct effect on the vagus nerve which controls much of
or gastrointestinal tract, but when researchers looked
at a group of diabetic patients being treated with these
drugs who had no GERD findings, they still had chronic
cough. Obviously, the mechanism driving the cough in these
patients was not due to reflux but some other process.
One other mechanism being considered may be
something called laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR. This
is similar to GERD where stomach acid comes up the food
tube (esophagus) and touches the upper airway and since
this occurs without GERD symptoms it is often called “silent
reflux.” Medications to suppress acid production may relieve
symptoms of GERD but have little effect on LPR. This means
that there may be another, as yet, unknow mechanism
of cough in some patients taking GLP-1Ras. Talk to you
doctor if you have cough associated with these drugs.

03/30/2026

👨‍⚕️ Today we honor the incredible physicians at The Lung Disease Center of Central PA!

Thank you for your dedication to lung and sleep health. 💙

03/27/2026

🧠 Lung Health Spotlight!

Check out this informative article from the American Lung Association about how new blood test research may help improve lung cancer screening rates — an important step in early detection and treatment! 💪💙

👉 https://www.lung.org/blog/lung-cancer-blood-test

Dr. Melinda Aldrich wants to boost screening rates to catch lung cancer earlier when it is more treatable.

03/26/2026

The Lung Disease Foundation of Central PA is dedicated to assisting those living in Central PA to stop smoking.

That is why we’re bringing you from our Freedom From Smoking Program Team!

“Find support in others during this journey. Let them help you by distracting you with a new hobby or activity. Go to places with friends and family that forbid smoking, like the mall, movie theaters, stores, and restaurants.”

Take part in our next series of Freedom From Smoking classes for more great tips and the help and support you need!

For more information, visit www.lungdiseasefoundation.org. To register for the next series of classes, call (814) 977-4455 or (814) 946-2845 today!

03/24/2026

ASTHMA AND GLP-1RAS

The use of the new injectable medications originally
developed for diabetes has expanded since we have
learned about many of the beneficial effects they may
have beyond the control of blood sugar. Heart benefits,
weight control, and reductions in inflammation are
just a few of the benefits which have been found.
Obesity in adolescents is as much of a problem as it
is in adults. Adolescents who have asthma and obesity
have more problems in controlling their symptoms and
exacerbations than their normal weight counterparts.
Recently, it has been found that adolescent patients who are
obese and have asthma and being treated with a GLP-1RA
have less exacerbations. Like many observations, the reason
for this benefit for these adolescent patients is unclear.
Weight loss has been shown to help reduce the
incidence of asthma exacerbations in obese adolescents,
but the weight loss benefit associated with GLP-1RAs
may not be the only reason these patients have less
problems with their asthma. GLP-1RAs have been shown
to influence inflammation. We should all know by now that
inflammation in the airways is part of the basic pathology
of asthma. How these drugs may accomplish this effect
in the obese adolescent patient is, of course, unclear.
Does this mean that all obese adolescent asthma patients
should be treated with GLP-1RAs, of course not. However,
it may be that if continued observations and research show
significant benefit when using these drugs, parents may find
physicians offering this type of therapy to their children.